not what i wanted to hear. hopefully this cold snap will lock things up by saturday. hoping to give it 1 more shot.

guess i should have went there today. went to knox instead. really slow. 1 cat and 2 gills in 6 hours.

i was gonna post this in the ice safety board, but i thought it would get more views in g.d. board. i brought this up a couple years ago but we've got a lot of new members. first is some kind of traction aid, (ice cleats). the most common injury to ice fishermen is head injuries from falling on the ice.
 also, and this scares me more than anything, and i see it all the time is when folks get set up, and finished drilling holes, they lay their auger down without putting the cover on. they set their auger right beside their bucket and sit down. take their kids, their dogs with them. ice is slippery, kids get rowdy, dogs aren't smart, and i've fallen off my bucket more times than i can count. if you're not drilling holes, cover your auger and set it far enough away you, your kids or your pets can't get cut.

shappell jet sleds. you can't go wrong with 'em.

i have one and love it. no issues with the buttons. so many pockets you need to make a map to find stuff.

wish i could have made it. old what's her name just getting out of the hospital, i'd have had to clean fish myself . goin friday,saturday and sunday come hell or high water for sure.

tip ups, i love 'em and hate 'em. they're a good tool to have if you're gonna be out all day, but if you're gonna move very much/far they're a waste of time. if you're gonna fish a particular area for an extended period of time, (creek channel, point, sunken island etc.) set them at different depths, and if you get a lot of flags in a certain spot , move and start jiggin there.
 they're used mostly for bigger fish, but i've caught crappies, gills and perch on them. i'm old school. never used the ones that hold a fishing rod. something about fighting big a fish without a flexible rod and a drag... just your arm, is fun to me.
 i spool mine with black tip up line, easy to see on snow and ice, pound test doesn't matter. add a barrel swivel, 2 to 4 foot mono leader for the fish you're after. beads or spinner blades above the hook won't hurt.
 check them often, in cold weather your holes will freeze quick, and if a flag goes up, you don't want to chop your tip up out of the ice, costing you a fish.(don't ask me how i know). hope this helps.

you caught it legally. it's your fish. release it, eat it, fertilize your garden with it.
 i don't always eat bass, but when i do, they're always bigger than that.